His to Own (Mafia Kingpins Book 1)
Chapter 18

On my way to the hospital, I call my brother Vin and ask what the hell is going on.

“What’re you talking about?” he asks, sounding confused. Calm, too. He sounds damn calm considering our brother is near death.

“Enzo was shot! I’m on my way to the hospital and⁠—”

“Enzo is sitting right here next to me,” Vin interrupts. “Who the hell told you he was shot?”

“Shot?” I hear Enzo’s voice clear as day.

Lifting my foot up off the gas pedal, slowing down, I frown. “An enforcer called and told me. Shit.” The hissed curse escapes my mouth and I think I’ve been played.

“Don’t go to the hospital,” Vin warns.

“Yeah,” I say slowly, braking and pulling over to the curb. “Fuck. Do you think it’s some kind of setup?”

“Could be. I can send some men over to check it out. Meanwhile, stay far away from that hospital. Something is definitely off.”

I know my brother is right and suddenly I’m paranoid, glancing in the rear view mirror. I start driving again, turning down side streets, and trying to determine if anyone is following me.

As if he can see what I’m doing, Vin asks, “Do you notice anyone suspicious on your tail?”

“No. It doesn’t look like anyone is following me.” My call waiting beeps and I look down to see Leo’s name flashing. “That’s Leo, I need to take it. Call you back.” I disconnect the call with my brother and answer Leo. “Leo, what’s up?”

“Your friend Leo’s been shot,” a strange voice says. “He asked me to call you right before he passed out.”

“What?” My heart starts thumping madly and shock hits me like a punch in the gut. What the fuck is going on? Now Leo’s shot? I don’t know what to believe. In the background, I can hear ambulance sirens screaming. “Who is this?”

“Just a guy who stumbled onto the scene. I called 911 and they’re coming now. But your friend was insistent that I call you. He doesn’t look good, man. I don’t know⁠—”

“What about the woman with him?” I force out between clenched teeth, already dreading the answer that I know is coming.

“What? There’s no woman with him.”

My entire world seems to tip and a sickening terror fills me. Where is Alessia? I try to tell myself to think logically. Maybe she ran off to get help or she might still even be inside the doctor’s office. But I know neither one of those things is true.

Someone distracted me then took full advantage of my absence. They took Leo down and now Alessia is missing.

“You don’t see a woman anywhere?” I ask again.

“No. I just saw this guy on the ground. He’s bleeding a lot.”

Fuck. Everything inside me panics for just a brief moment before I reel it back in and force myself to retake control.

“Text me what hospital they’re taking my friend to…please.” Hang in there, Leo.

“Sure thing,” the guy responds and I can hear the paramedics arriving. “They’re here.”

“Thank you.” I hang up, pull over to the curb and take several deep breaths, telling myself to calm down. I can’t lose my shit right now, but I am precariously close. My wife has disappeared into thin air and my best friend is bleeding out on the pavement.

After several deep breaths, I call Vincentius back up. “Vin, Leo is the one who was shot and the ambulance is taking him to—” My phone beeps with a text and I see the answer I need. “—St. Vincent’s Hospital. Can you go there right now? He was with Alessia…”

My voice cracks and a tidal wave of emotion powers through me.

“Where’s Alessia?” Vin asks.

“I don’t know,” I force out and swipe a hand through my hair.

“Don’t lose your shit, Miceli. Enzo and I will meet you at the hospital. I’ll call Angelo, too. Keep it together, bro. We’re going to replace her, okay?”

I don’t say anything. Just swallow back the bile rising in the back of my throat.

“Okay?” he repeats again, and I give my head a hard shake.

“Yeah, okay. See you there.” After disconnecting the call, I hit the gas and pull away from the curb. If we can’t talk to Leo, I’m not sure how we’re going to know what happened and how the hell we’re going to be able to replace Alessia. But I have to believe it. If anyone can replace her, the four of us can.

And, God willing, we will.

By the time I reach the hospital, I know I was set up and I am livid. Storming through the front doors, I glance around and spot Angelo who waves to me and hurries over. My youngest brother is a carefree flirt, but the usual smile on his face is absent.

“Miceli! This way.”

Our long strides take us to the elevator quickly and we step inside.

“How’s Leo?” I ask, unable to keep the worry out of my voice.

“He’s in surgery right now,” Angelo informs me. “He’s not in good shape. Took three bullets to the chest.”

“Fuck.” I squeeze my eyes shut and swear the worst kind of vengeance on whatever motherfuckers took my best friend down. Down, but not out, I remind myself. “He has to make it.”

Angelo nods. “He’s a tough SOB. The doctor said he’ll keep us updated.”

When the door opens again, we step out and Angelo leads me down to the waiting area near the operating room where Leo is currently being saved. I see Vin and Enzo who are sitting in chairs, waiting. They jump up as we walk over and I grab Enzo in a half-hug and slap his back.

“They told me you’re the one who’d been shot.” Relief that my brother is okay fills me, but I’m terrified for Leo and Alessia. “Any news?”

“Nothing yet,” Vin states. “Any word on Alessia?”

I scrub a hand down my face. “Nothing. And I’m starting to freak the fuck out.”

For a moment, no one says anything. There’s nothing to say. How can we make a plan to get my wife back when I have no idea who took her or where she is? Is someone going to demand a ransom? Is this the same asshole who sent the gunman after her outside of Penn Station? Is she still even alive?

That last thought makes my knees give out and I drop down in a chair and slide my hands through my hair, pulling hard. I’ve never felt so goddamn helpless in all of my life and it’s killing me. Alessia needs me now more than ever and there’s nothing that I can do.

Or, is there?

I lift my head up, a plan coming together. “I rule this city and have eyes and ears everywhere.” My brothers focus on me and nod. “So, why not put out a 911 bulletin to all of my enforcers and informers? To every single contact I have in the underworld? And that you all have, too?”

“I can do that,” Enzo immediately says. “I have contacts everywhere in the business world. Someone might’ve heard something.”

“We can all put feelers out,” Angelo says and Vin nods in agreement.

If I’m being honest, though, my gut is leaning heavily toward Rocco Bianche. “I have no proof, but I want to check out Rocco Bianche. I don’t trust the snake and he thinks he might still have some sort of claim on Alessia.”

“On it,” Vin states, pulling his phone from his pocket.

“And I’ll set some calls in motion,” Enzo tells me, also starting to dial someone.

“I’ll see if I can get an update on Leo,” Angelo offers and walks away at a brisk pace.

I feel better knowing my brothers are on it and their support steadies me. It means the fucking world. I’m not sure what I would do without them. Usually, as the oldest, I’m the pillar and the one offering his support to everyone else, but they’re stepping up just like I need them to do at this moment and I know I can count on them.

In the meantime, I decide to make some calls of my own. I put the word out that my wife is missing and anyone with information will be obscenely rewarded, both financially and by me personally. Me saying that I will owe someone a favor is a really big fucking deal. And anyone who helps me replace Alessia will be eternally in my good graces. I will quite literally owe them everything because the indisputable truth is I am head over heels in love with my wife.

Nothing bad is going to happen to her, I tell myself, repeating the mantra over and over again. I refuse to accept the possibility that things could turn out differently. I need her back in my arms and my best friend out of surgery. As if on cue, Angelo reappears.

“Leo made it,” he assures me and I prop a hand against the wall as relief fills me. “It was touch and go there for a minute. He lost a lot of blood, but the doc extracted two bullets and the third one passed through his shoulder.”

“Jesus,” I hiss.

“The doc doesn’t know when he’ll be awake, so we won’t be able to talk to Leo about what happened for a while yet.”

My phone starts buzzing and I look down at the caller ID to see the name of an old informant of mine. A loner who lives in the shadows, but he’s smart and well-connected. Although he’s never divulged anything personal about himself, and I certainly don’t ask questions, I get former military vibes from the guy. Probably some kind of ghost ops.

“Archer,” I say in greeting, using his last name. Hell, I don’t even know his first name.

“Rossi,” he returns evenly in a deep, slightly gravelly voice. “I have some intel that you might want.”

“Go ahead.”

“Bianche’s house is lit up like a Christmas tree and I’ve been told—from an extremely reliable inside source—that he has your new wife.”

I let out a vicious curse and damn Rocco Bianche’s soul to eternal hell. I fucking knew it. Fighting back the urge to start throwing things, I pull in a deep breath. “Can you get me a floor plan of Bianche’s mansion?”

“Already got it.”

My phone vibrates with an email and I let out a relieved breath. “Thank you, Archer. I owe you.”

He lets out a half-snort. “Trust me, Rossi. You don’t want to owe me shit.”

The call disconnects and I look at Angelo. “Bianche has her.”

“Who was that?”

“A trusted source. Guy’s a ghost, though, so I don’t know much about him personally. But he has the inside connections necessary to get information. He just sent me the floor plans to Bianche’s house.”

Right on time, I see Vin and Enzo striding toward us and I quickly fill them in on the call from Archer.

“So, what’s the plan?” Enzo asks, crossing his arms.

Even though I’m itching to go in with guns blazing, I know that we need to play this smart. I can’t be careless and potentially put Alessia in harm’s way. “We have to be fast and discreet,” I tell them. “And we have to move now. Is everyone carrying?”

They all nod, and I can’t express how grateful I am that they immediately have my back.

“Let’s go,” Vin says. “We’ll take Miceli’s SUV because it’s bulletproof. And we’ll come up with a plan on the way there.”

There is no time to waste and I appreciate that they recognize this. We are going to bring Rocco down and I’m going to get Alessia back. Because I know now without a doubt that I can’t live without her—she’s the love of my life and I’ll die to protect her. To save her.

I just hope and pray that we’re not too late and Rocco hasn’t done anything stupid. Because if he’s touched one silky strand of hair on my wife’s head, I’m going to empty my gun into him and send his black soul straight to hell where he belongs.